Publisher's Summary

Iris Bowen is a young Irish gardener and mother of a beloved adopted daughter, Rose. A recent widow, Iris has spent the last two years concentrating on the day-to-day business of launching Rose into the world. But when she receives some worrisome results on a breast scan, the words of her husband as he was dying of cancer become hauntingly urgent. He had begged Iris to search for Rose's birth mother, so Rose would still have family if anything happened to Iris. Suddenly Iris fears that Rose really could be left alone.

With no records to guide her beyond a 20-year-old envelope, Iris impulsively begins a journey into the past that takes her to Boston and back to the west of Ireland, with surprising results for herself and for Rose and the others whom their lives touch.

At turns moving and funny, Her Name Is Rose by Christine Breen is a gorgeous and intimate debut novel about what happens when life does not play out the way you expect.

Slow w too much unnecessary detail

Fell asleep while listening, sorry. Awoke and read the reviews. Then I put it on fast forward and skipped bits here & there to finish for a bookclub. Some things in a book don't need that much detail. Loved the important parts! Fantastic descriptions when needed.